The day finally arrived, the day for the new rank measurement.
"Examiner Baek Seojin."
Another group of men and women in suits was sent to my home. This showed just how much those upstairs were anticipating my ability measurement.
If that had been all, it would have been a rather unpleasant affair.
"You don't need to go to work today."
"It's been processed as paid leave, so you just need to take the measurement at your convenience."
I wondered if I'd heard wrong. Good heavens, paid leave.
I wasn't an employee of some ordinary company but a civil servant living off taxes. To give paid leave to a low-ranking worker they usually squeeze dry every day?
'The higher-ups must be quite desperate.'
Paid leave on a weekday, and by orders from above at that!
If my boss heard this news, he would be pretty jealous.
He would give me dirty looks whenever I tried to use some annual leave. Yet he himself used his leave quite diligently.
Sure enough, the Third Eye had not been wrong. A typical old-fashioned boss. With the mindset of "I can, but you can't." They say there are plenty of bosses these days who aren't old-fashioned, so why was mine ?
'But this time, even he couldn't say anything.'
The higher-ups must be eagerly anticipating this.
Having lost two S-rank ability users in the past few years, they must be extremely anxious. Even worse, those two didn't die but became Elders.
In a world where S-rank ability users are treated as national assets and recognized as a country's definite military power. There are still several S-rank users left, but they must be feeling absolutely sick about it. In the midst of that, if someone with potential to be S-rank appeared, it was understandable they'd rush in with high hopes...
'I'm sorry. I'm not S-rank.'
Surrounded by the group in suits and heading to the ability measurement location. I silently apologized to the people sitting next to me, and to the others who were likely expecting so much.
If I were the one doing the measurement, that would be different, but being measured? This significantly lowers the probability of trait manifestation. Even in the duel with Kang Minseong, it barely manifested.
"This might be the day a new S-rank is born, don't you think?"
The team leader from the suit group I met before laughs with a "Haha!" as he broaches the subject. I couldn't just say, "No. It's not. Give up," so I just laughed along with a "Haha!" without saying anything and looked out the window.
I briefly checked the content of the phone notification.
[Kim Suhyeon: Examiner! Good luck with the measurement! Fighting!]
Not a long message. But even just looking at it, I could tell she had really thought about it. She probably woke up early in the morning, struggled with what to write, and finally sent it just before heading to school. Imagining Suhyeon like that made me smile without realizing it.
'She really tried hard to get my number somehow.'
I remember Suhyeon coming up to me anxiously for days.
She had something she wanted to say, something she needed to say, but was too shy to speak up. That feeling was so obvious that I gently asked her. What's wrong? Do you have something to tell me?
"T-That. I, ah! F-First, congratulations on your first time promoting student to Silver. Grandfather congratulated you! And me too! And he said you worked h-hard and he wants to invite you to dinner again... something like that..."
"S-So! T-That is! To tell you the exact time, I need to contact you...!"
"You want my number?"
"No! Ah, no! I just..."
"You're asking for my number, right?"
"Yes! Yes! That's, that's it, but..."
What contact? She could just come to the Academy and tell me directly. And if there was a celebration, it would be enough with just Suhyeon.
Why would the Chairman suddenly call me for no reason? Of all things, you're using your grandfather as an excuse!
It was absurd but also cute and amusing. So I decided to play along and gave her my number. When she heard my answer, she smiled so brightly that it felt almost dissonant.
How did someone ever become the Crimson Witch? How did she make even Lee Hyunwoo, with his extremely positive mindset, see her as the worst villain who would make him grind his teeth? Thinking about it again, villains and Elders, they were all just bastards.
[Thanks, Suhyeon. I'll do well on the measurement. Oh, and I got leave too.]
Come to think of it, I've been thinking of Kim Suhyeon as "Suhyeon" comfortably for some time now. At first, I was just speaking informally because of Kang Minseong's request. Now it feels awkward to address her formally, and I want to treat her comfortably.
Not bad. Rather, it's good. Having someone rely on me. This makes me wonder if this is why those perverts appear occasionally. Those guys who completely isolate the other person to make them depend only on them!
'But those are really just bastards.'
[Are you not coming to the Academy today?]
[Examiner, are you really not coming today?]
For a moment, it felt like a cold sweat ran down my spine. I quickly sent a reply to Suhyeon before it was too late.
[No, Suhyeon. I'm coming. I went back to work right after being discharged from the hospital, didn't I?]
The paid leave is a bit of a waste, but that's the extent of it. If I had wanted to rest, I would have taken a few more days off after being discharged.
Besides, lately it's been extremely enjoyable and rewarding even without the Gatekeeper trait. Students who were already working hard have started to put in even more effort.
The moment when Suhyeon finally left Bronze and settled into Silver, it seemed the other students had also properly sensed something.
The possibility I presented and Suhyeon proved through her hard work. 'Hey! I did it! So you can do it too!'
Even if they're weak now, they can improve someday. If they can properly demonstrate that one possibility they possess. Then they too can proudly enter through the Silver gate!
'There are still some students wandering around, but there's not much I can do about that.'
I can't grab them by the collar, slam them down, and say, 'Shut up and just do as you're told.' I'm a gentlemanly civil servant, a civil servant who doesn't frown at citizens. I'm not some demon instructor from a novel, so why would I do such a thing?
I won't force those who don't want to try. Instead, I'll let them be and show them how those who do want to try grow. If I can provoke some jealousy that way, all the better.
[So you're coming today? Right?]
It seems she's calmed down, as the typos have been corrected and the spacing has returned.
[Yuyu: I think this was lost in translation.]
Sometimes it feels like she relies on me too much, which worries me a bit. But so far, the Third Eye hasn't shown any traits related to obsession or anything.
Making sure it doesn't spread that far will be the next task for Suhyeon's sake, after preventing brainwashing. I'm not interested in regret, devastation, or obsession either.
"Examiner Baek Seojin. We'll be arriving soon."
[Suhyeon. They say we're arriving soon. I'll contact you again in a bit.]
[Yes! I'll contact you again later then!]
The magic of the number 1 next to her message disappeared as soon as I sent my reply. Isn't she in a lecture right now? Is it okay for her to be just looking at her phone?
"We've arrived, Examiner. You can get out now."
At the suited man's words, I glanced outside the window.
Originally, I should be the one waiting there for those being measured. Now the situation is reversed, and I'm going to be measured. What's more, the original owner of this body had even been measured once before.
At that time, Baek Seojin had received a D-rank. In other words, dead last. Originally, there would have been no problem even if he had received an E-rank, from what I remember. But since he was in the detection and measurement field, he apparently got that much.
"Welcome, Examiner Baek Seojin."
As I got out of the car, a middle-aged man in uniform extended his hand for a handshake. He's not a soldier. Of course, if he were a soldier, he'd naturally be wearing a military uniform.
But he doesn't quite seem like an ordinary civil servant either. There's something different about his atmosphere.
Checking with the Third Eye, I could tell his identity. A civil servant but actually an old-generation ability user with rich combat experience. He seemed to be from the generation after Kang Minseong and Ma Hakjun.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Lim Jae-woo, in charge of this measurement."
"Ah, yes. Pleased to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine. Everyone has high expectations."
To drop such a burdensome statement so casually, right off the bat. It seems he has a certainty beyond expectation that I'm S-rank...
'I'm not, you idiots. Why do you keep drinking the chicken soup?'
They must be extremely thirsty for the appearance of an S-rank ability user. I understand though, since they've lost two precious S-ranks.
"These days, stories about Examiner Baek Seojin are the hottest topic."
Is that so? I haven't really noticed.
"Your expression seems to say 'Thank you even if it's just flattery.' But it's not. It's true."
After that, the middle-aged man who introduced himself as Lim Jae-woo continued excitedly.
All the S-ranks so far either showed absolute distinction from early on. Or even if their abilities manifested late, they were already the strongest from that point onward. There hadn't been a case like mine, starting completely at the bottom and then growing.
That's why even a theory has been established. While it's possible to reach A-rank through acquired effort, S-rank is not like that. Whether early or late, innate factors must play a role, they say.
"Now that theory will have to change too."
No. I think that theory is correct, actually? This side also isn't due to acquired effort but because of a suddenly gained talent.
Not knowing my inner thoughts, Lim Jae-woo smiled and guided me to the measurement location. His face was full of smiles, which already made me feel sorry.
"Then, we'll start the measurement."
"...Yes. Please take care of me."
The measurement method is simpler than I thought. If anything, the rank evaluation at the Academy might be more difficult.
The total amount of magic power that the current ability can produce. And the limit that the body can handle. Then calculating the part where magic power and body can endure.
Having experience in the Ability Measurement Department, I could roughly tell. This will be B-rank at best. Even with a miracle, A-rank would be the limit.